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Improving Instruction Briefs: Building Successful Partnerships Between the School Principal, Families, and Communities: information for PrincipalsThis Brief for principals answers questions about communicating with parents or guardians for whom communicating in English is a challenge. Good parent-educator communication is key to determining appropriate accessibility features and accommodations for students. This Brief was developed by NCEO’s “ Improving Instruction for English Learners Through Improved Accessibility Decisions,” in collaboration with the West Virginia Department of Education.
Published: December 2019
Improving Instruction Briefs: Building Successful Communication Between Parent or Guardian and Teacher: Information for Parents or GuardiansThis Brief for parents or guardians of students who are English learners answers questions about communicating with teachers when English is a challenge, and the benefits of successful communication. Good parent-educator communication is key to determining appropriate accessibility features and accommodations for students. This Brief was developed by NCEO’s “ Improving Instruction for English Learners Through Improved Accessibility Decisions,” in collaboration with the West Virginia Department of Education.
Published: December 2019- NCEO State Surveys: 2025 Survey of States: Trends and Issues in Statewide Assessment of Students with DisabilitiesFormats: Online
This report summarizes the seventeenth survey of states by NCEO, collecting over three decades of data on the participation and performance of students with disabilities in statewide assessments. Forty-five jurisdictions responded, revealing key trends in state practices. Key findings show that states primarily monitored accessibility features by reviewing IEP records and conducting site audits. To support participation in alternate assessments (AA-AAAS), states focused on training and data sharing. However, a major challenge is meeting the federal 1% limit for AA-AAAS, largely due to concerns over inappropriate student identification and the lack of staff training. For Alt-ELP assessments, states ensured proper assignment through revised guidelines and training. Growth models were common for general assessments but rarely used for AA-AAAS and Alt-ELP assessments. States mainly disaggregated general assessment results by disability category to analyze trends. The survey confirms states are prioritizing training and monitoring to align assessment practices with federal requirements.
Published: November 2025 
Forum on Evaluating Educator Effectiveness: Critical Considerations for Including Students with DisabilitiesFormats: PDFA report summarizing the discussion at the Forum on Evaluating Educator Effectiveness held in June 2012 in Minneapolis. Thirty-six individuals representing a dozen states, four testing companies, and six other organizations participated in the forum, which was a pre-session to the Council of Chief State School Officers National Conference on Student Assessment, and was a collaboration of the Assessing Special Education Students State Collaborative on Assessment and State Standards and the National Center on Educational Outcomes. Its purpose was to address the challenging issues that exist in including students with disabilities and their teachers in educator evaluation systems, and to provide state representatives and other interested parties with an opportunity to meet and share their perspectives on this topic, particularly in light of the changing nature of accountability systems across the United States. This report summarizes the introductory material provided to participants, and presents a summary of the discussions in three facilitated topic discussion sessions focusing on including assessment results of students with disabilities, using IEP goals or student learning objectives, and developing a balanced model for educator effectiveness evaluations.
Published: 2012
Parent Spotlight: Enfoque de los Padres de Familia en los Planes IEP y los Estándares Académicos Esenciales y las Evaluaciones del EstadoFormats: PDFEste folleto fue redactado para proveer información a los padres de familia y a otros con respecto a los Programas Individualizados de Educación (IEPs por sus siglas en inglés) y los estándares académicos recientemente adoptados llamados Estándares Académicos Esenciales y las Evaluaciones del Estado.
Published: April 2014
NCEO Synthesis Reports: Status of the States in the Development of Alternate Assessments (#31)Formats: OnlineThis 1999 report describes the results of an online survey to assess the status of states in the development of alternate assessments to be in place by July 1, 2000. In the survey, states were also asked about a variety of developmental features of their alternate assessments.
Published: April 1999
NCEO Synthesis Reports: Issues and Considerations in Alternate Assessments (#27)Formats: OnlineThis 1997 report describes and discusses issues around the design of alternate assessments for students with disabilities.
Published: January 1997
NCEO State Surveys: 1995 State Special Education Outcomes: Longitudinal Trends in How States are Assessing Educational Outcomes for Students with DisabilitiesFormats: PDFThis report presents the results of the fifth annual survey of state activities in the assessment of educational outcomes for students with disabilities. NCEO sent the survey to directors of special education of all the 50 regular states and the 10 unique states that provide special education under the provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Respondents were asked to respond to items about the current status or activities of their states in these areas: federally-reported data, assessments of outcomes, participation of students with disabilities in state assessments, and state technical assistance needs. In several of these areas, it was possible to examine longitudinal trends by comparing responses from the first survey to current responses.
Published: April 1996
NCEO Synthesis Reports: Implications of Outcomes-Based Education for Children with Disabilities (#6)Formats: PDFThis report discusses Outcomes-based education (OBE) and its implications for students with disabilities from the perspective of the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO).
Published: April 1993
NCEO State Surveys: State Special Education Outcomes 1992: A Report on State Activities in the Assessment of Educational Outcomes for Students with DisabilitiesFormats: PDFA report NCEO's second survey of states conducted in 1992 to address the needs of state directors, policymakers and others for information about current state activities in multiple outcomes areas: Knowledge, skills, status, and attitudes of students with disabilities. It also addresses issues related to change over time in accountability and assessment activities. The specific objectives of this survey were to: (1) Develop an ongoing system to describe the status of state activities to assess educational outcomes, (2) Develop an ongoing tracking system of procedures and practices used by states to include and make accommodations in the assessment of students with disabilities, (3) Identify persistent barriers and needs of states related to outcomes assessment, and (4) Identify state data bases that might be used to create a national data base of outcomes for students with disabilities.
Published: March 1993
NCEO Synthesis Reports: Synthesis Report Update 1992: Policy Groups and Reports on Assessing Educational Outcomes (#2)Formats: PDFThe purpose of this report is to provide an update to information presented in Synthesis Report #1. Specifically, this report provides information on the key national policy groups involved in outcomes--related activities and on key reports that have been produced by these groups and others during the past year (1992).
Published: April 1992
NCEO Reports: 2015-16 Publicly Reported Assessment Results for Students with Disabilities and ELs with Disabilities (#407)This is the nineteenth report by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) that describes how states publicly report online assessment data for students with disabilities in K-12 schools in the United States. The purpose of this report is to examine the extent to which states reported 2015-16 assessment data for students with disabilities "to the public with the same frequency and in the same detail as it reports on the assessment of nondisabled children," as required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). It also describes how states report assessment participation and performance data to the public online. It summarizes these data for grades 4 and 8, and high school, with additional analyses that focus on average performance gaps across years. The report also summarizes the extent to which states report participation and performance for English Learners (ELs) with disabilities and examines public reporting of accommodations.
Published: July 2018
NCEO Reports: 2013-14 Publicly Reported Assessment Results for Students with Disabilities and ELLs with Disabilities (#401)This is the seventeenth report by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) that describes how states publicly report online assessment data for students with disabilities in K-12 schools in the United States. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) require states to disaggregate participation and performance data at the state level. The ESEA flexibility waivers that many states received also require states to report for the "all students" group as well as for all of the subgroups, including students in special education, as long as the number of students in a subgroup is equal to or above the minimum reporting number defined by the state. This report presents information on publicly reported participation and performance data for the 50 regular states and the 11 unique states. Recommendations are offered to states for the public reporting of disaggregated data for students with disabilities.
Published: February 2016
NCEO Synthesis Reports: Science Alternate Assessments based on Alternate Achievement Standards (AA-AAS) During School Year 2014-2015 (#99)A report that analyzes the characteristics of states' science alternate assessments based on alternate achievement standards (AA-AAS) in 2014-2015. Federal law requires that all students, including students with disabilities, participate in state assessments used for accountability purposes. It also requires states to assess students in several content areas, including science. Most students with disabilities take the general science assessment with or without accommodations, but a few students with the most significant cognitive disabilities participate in AA-AAS. Although federal regulations do allow states to define the complexity, depth, and breadth of the AA-AAS, the apparent lack of consistency in the domains assessed suggests that some students with significant cognitive disabilities may not be getting access to the same rigorous grade-appropriate content.
Published: November 2015- Parent Video Series: Supporting the Learning of Children with Significant Cognitive Disabilities at Home: Helping Your Child with Communication at HomeFormats: Online
This video describes ways that parents with students with disabilities can help support their child’s communication development at home, and provides sources for more information.
Published: November 2020 
Improving Instruction Briefs: Building Successful Communication Between Parent or Guardian and Teacher: Information for Parents or Guardians (Vietnamese translation)Formats: PDFThis Brief, translated into Vietnamese, explains how parents or guardians of students who are English learners can develop successful communication with teachers. Good parent-educator communication is key to determining appropriate accessibility features and accommodations for students. This Brief was developed by NCEO’s “Improving Instruction for English Learners Through Improved Accessibility Decisions,” in collaboration with the West Virginia Department of Education.
Published: June 2020
Improving Instruction Briefs: Building Successful Communication Between Parent or Guardian and Teacher: Information for Parents or Guardians (Spanish translation)Formats: PDFThis Brief, translated into Spanish, explains how parents or guardians of students who are English learners can develop successful communication with teachers. Good parent-educator communication is key to determining appropriate accessibility features and accommodations for students. This Brief was developed by NCEO’s “Improving Instruction for English Learners Through Improved Accessibility Decisions,” in collaboration with the West Virginia Department of Education.
Published: June 2020
Improving Instruction Briefs: Building Successful Communication Between Parent or Guardian and Teacher: Information for Parents or Guardians (Traditional Chinese translation)Formats: PDFThis Brief, translated into Traditional Chinese, explains how parents or guardians of students who are English learners can develop successful communication with teachers. Good parent-educator communication is key to determining appropriate accessibility features and accommodations for students. This Brief was developed by NCEO’s “Improving Instruction for English Learners Through Improved Accessibility Decisions,” in collaboration with the West Virginia Department of Education.
Published: June 2020
Improving Instruction Briefs: Building Successful Communication Between Parent or Guardian and Teacher: Information for Parents or Guardians (Simplified Chinese translation)Formats: PDFThis Brief, translated into Simplified Chinese, explains how parents or guardians of students who are English learners can develop successful communication with teachers. Good parent-educator communication is key to determining appropriate accessibility features and accommodations for students. This Brief was developed by NCEO’s “Improving Instruction for English Learners Through Improved Accessibility Decisions,” in collaboration with the West Virginia Department of Education.
Published: June 2020
Improving Instruction Briefs: Building Successful Communication Between Parent or Guardian and Teacher: Information for Parents or Guardians (Arabic translation)Formats: PDFThis Brief, translated into Arabic, explains how parents or guardians of students who are English learners can develop successful communication with teachers. Good parent-educator communication is key to determining appropriate accessibility features and accommodations for students. This Brief was developed by NCEO’s “Improving Instruction for English Learners Through Improved Accessibility Decisions,” in collaboration with the West Virginia Department of Education.
Published: June 2020